In the face of looming automatic budget cuts, the National Institutes of Health is preparing for a 5 percent budget cut after years of flat budgets, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported. The NIH, which receives $31 billion from taxpayers each year, is the nation's leading scientific agency. The cuts will likely hamper the nation's scientific output, lead to job losses and prompt the closing of university laboratories, director Francis Collins said in an interview with The Chronicle. NIH representatives claim that the agency runs lean operations and cannot make additional cuts. Despite the cut's magnitude, some claim that the NIH could improve and become more efficient in response.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill sophomore Landen Gambill is filing a complaint with the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, claiming that university administrators took action against her after she publicly criticized how the university handles sexual assault cases on campus, The Huffington Post reported. In February, the University's Honor Court charged Gambill with allegedly creating an intimidating environment for the student whom Gambill accused of raping her, a violation of the honor code. While Gambill's alleged rapist had a "no contact" order issued against him last May, the charges allowed him the opportunity to harass and intimidate her, Henry Clay Turner, Gambill's attorney, said. Gambill alleges that UNC officials aided her attacker in filing the Honor Court charges. University officials have denied any involvement or control over Honor Court proceedings, which are directed by students.
The FBI has entered the search for a former Brown University student, Sunil Tripathi, who went missing Saturday morning, The Brown Daily Herald reported. A federal agent met with family members and will pursue the search in tandem with the Providence Police Department and the Brown Department of Public Safety. Law enforcement officials expect Tripathi is still alive. Tripathi, a member of the Class of 2012, was last seen at his residence on Friday evening.
